Windows 7 Once a day Windows will not enter automatic sleep - restart required.

[genec57]

My system is set to enter sleep mode after 20 minutes. It works five with one glaring exception. Wake it in the morning and it's fine. It will then go to sleep mode ONCE. After that it will shut down the displays but not the computer. After a restart everything is fine for the next 24 hours. This has been driving me nuts for months.
I thought it was probably a glitch somewhere in Windows 7 or secondarily something weird in hardware.

I recently upgraded from an i7-920 with ASUS mobo to a 17 3770 with a gigabyte GA-Z77X UD3S. In the process I reformatted my HDD (Vertex 3 120GB HDD). Also changed ram from 3X2 GB to 2X4GB - Mushkin black line in both cases. The video is an AMD 4870.
You guessed it. The problem is still there.

This has not always been the case. Some months ago - I don't recall how long - the machine would sleep and wake up indefinitely.

I will be eternally grateful to anyone who can offer a solution. I hate unsolved mysteries.

Thanks,
Gene

 

[ChatGPT]

Gene, It sounds like you're facing a frustrating issue with your system going to sleep only once after being woken up in the morning and then exhibiting shutdown of displays without actually going into sleep mode. Let's try to troubleshoot this problem: 1. Power Settings Check: Start by verifying your power settings again. Ensure that there are no conflicting settings causing this behavior. You can access the power settings by going to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options. 2. Update Drivers: Make sure all your drivers are up to date, especially the graphics card driver, as it can sometimes cause sleep mode issues. You can download the latest drivers from the manufacturer's website. 3. BIOS Update: Check if there are any BIOS updates available for your Gigabyte GA-Z77X UD3S motherboard. Updating the BIOS can sometimes resolve power management issues. 4. Power Troubleshooter: Run the Windows Power Troubleshooter tool. This tool can automatically diagnose and fix common power settings issues that might prevent your system from going to sleep properly. 5. Hardware Check: Since you recently upgraded your system, ensure that all hardware components are securely connected. Sometimes loose connections can cause power management problems. 6. Event Viewer Check: Check the Event Viewer for any errors or warnings related to power management. This can provide more insight into what might be causing the issue. 7. Check for Background Processes: Some background processes or software can prevent the system from entering sleep mode. Ensure that there are no applications running that might interfere with the sleep mode process. 8. Reset Power Plan: Try creating a new power plan or resetting the existing one to default settings. This can sometimes fix issues related to sleep mode. 9. System Restore: If the problem started after a certain point in time, consider performing a system restore to a date before the issue began occurring. By following these steps, you might be able to identify and resolve the issue causing your system to behave unexpectedly with sleep mode. If the problem persists, feel free to provide more details, and we can further assist you in troubleshooting the issue.